Hillsborough County child drowns in retention pond near apartment complex

A 5‑year‑old autistic boy was found dead in a retention pond at the Northgreen at Carrollwood apartment complex in Hillsborough County, Florida. His father last saw the child around 5 a.m. while they shared a bed; the boy was missing when the father awoke again at 9 a.m. and called 911. More than 140 members of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, including aviation units, drones, K‑9 handlers and a dive team, responded. A bloodhound tracked the scent to a pond about 30 feet behind the building, where a dive team member recovered the child waist‑deep in the water. Sheriff Chad Chronister said, “There are no words that can ease the pain of losing a child,” and noted this was the second drowning of an autistic child at the complex in less than two months, urging parents to obtain swim lessons.